Two people injured in Interstate 74 accidents
Two people were injured Saturday during a couple of accidents on Interstate 74 in Bettendorf that occurred after police tried to pull over a car with stolen plates.
Bettendorf Public Information Officer Lauran Haldeman said that at 5:56 p.m., a Bettendorf officer tried to stop a westbound Chrysler Concord with stolen plates near Spruce Hills Drive and I-74. The driver of the Concord continued westbound on the freeway and then went on to Spruce Hills Drive for a short time.
The driver of the Concord then drove through a median on I-74 and headed toward Illinois and the Interstate 74 bridge, Haldeman said.
Another officer, who was a short distance ahead of the Concord, pulled over to the side of the road near the Middle Road exit to see if deploying spike sticks would be prudent, Haldeman said.
The driver of an Illinois-bound Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck saw the officer and stopped quickly due to traffic backing up. A three-vehicle accident occurred when other vehicles were unable to stop.
The pursuit of the Concord was terminated, and the Concord continued heading to Illinois when it sideswiped another vehicle near the Lincoln Road overpass. The Concord then continued into Illinois.
At 6:34 p.m., Haldeman said that traffic was backed-up on I-74 while officers cleared the road from the first accident. A four-vehicle accident occurred because vehicles were unable to stop in time. The driver and a passenger in one of those vehicles were taken to Genesis Medical Center-East Rusholme Street, Davenport, for treatment. Their conditions were not known Saturday night.
The incident remains under investigation.
Thomas Geyer can be contacted at (563) 383-2328 or tgeyer@qctimes.com.